Peabody, MA — TMC, an industry leader in high-performance vibration and motion cancellation technology since 1979, introduces STACIS® III, the next generation of its STACIS active piezoelectric vibration cancellation system. STACIS III features a faster and more robust controller and provides the user with an advanced graphical user interface (GUI).

“TMC has consistently been a leader in engineering, manufacturing, and performance. STACIS III is the latest example of this leadership,” states Wes Wigglesworth, Product Manager, Active Systems. “Developed in-house by our team of control engineers and scientists, the state-of-the-art control system for STACIS is unmatched.”

TMC’s next generation controller—the DC-2020—provides semiconductor tool owners and researchers alike with a very simple and easy-to-use graphical interface for fast system assessment and operational peace-of-mind.

“Facility Managers will see increased efficiency, as they will now be able to connect multiple STACIS III systems to one network hub and access each system from one host PC via Ethernet,” adds Wigglesworth.

The new controller is backward compatible with existing STACIS 2100 systems and features a new dual-core processor with a PC-based GUI via point-to-point Ethernet or USB ports on the front or rear panel. When connecting over Ethernet, the DC-2020 creates the STACIS GUI in the user’s browser with no additional software or application program to install. Alternatively, the user can establish the GUI via the USB with a TMC-provided executable file.

The STACIS system was initially developed to isolate precision microlithography, metrology, and inspection equipment in advanced semiconductor factories. Increasingly, it has become the ideal vibration cancellation system for many types of imaging and process tools used in nanotechnology, photonics, and the life sciences.

While this technology always has provided researchers and scientists with unmatched vibration isolation starting at sub-Hz levels, STACIS III now is unmatched in the world of vibration control in terms of processing speed and user interface, particularly for point-of-use applications. In addition, STACIS is compatible with all internal tool vibration isolation systems, enabling older and less-than-optimal floors to accommodate vibration-sensitive instruments.

TMC is a unit of AMETEK Ultra Precision Technologies, a pioneer in the development of ultra-precision measurement instruments and a global leader in ultra-precise machine tools and manufacturing systems for the semiconductor, photovoltaic, nanotechnology, military, defense and ophthalmic lens markets.

AMETEK Ultra Precision Technologies is a division of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with 2014 annual sales of $4.0 billion.